Kansas City v. Bacon

57 S.W. 1045, 157 Mo. 450, 1900 Mo. LEXIS 41
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJune 30, 1900
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 57 S.W. 1045 (Kansas City v. Bacon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kansas City v. Bacon, 57 S.W. 1045, 157 Mo. 450, 1900 Mo. LEXIS 41 (Mo. 1900).

Opinion

VALLIANT, J.

Appeal from a judgment of the circuit court of Jackson county assessing benefits against property of the defendants in the proceedings to establish Penn Valley park in Nansas City.

Eor the establishing of the park 134 acres of land were condemned and the total amount assessed as the value thereof to be paid the owners was $870,759.60, and for the payment of that amount assessments as of benefits were made on a large number of lots included in what is known as West Park district, among which were lots owned severally by defendants Bacon and Monroe. The assessments on the lots of Mrs. Bacon aggregate $3,252.49; those on the lots of Monroe, $991.17. The amount assessed against the city as general benefits was $1.

As the constitutionality of the law under which the proceedings were had is questioned, as well as the conformity of those proceedings to the law, a brief recital of its requirements will be necessary.

[459]*459Under article 10 of tbe charter of the city there is a board of park commissioners whose duty it is, inter alia, to devise and adopt a system of public parks “for the nse of the city and its inhabitants and to select and designate lands to be used and appropriated for such purposes,.and by and with the approval and authority, by ordinance, of the common council, to lease, purchase, condemn or otherwise acquire in the name of the city, land for parks,” etc. By section 7 of that article the city is divided into three park districts whose boundaries are defined, of which "West Park district is one.

Section 8: “It shall be the duty of the board of park commissioners to provide at least one park in each park district and to purchase or otherwise acquire with the concurrence of the common council as herein provided, real estate therefor; and the common council is hereby authorized and empowered to provide by ordinance for the purchase, condemnation or otherwise obtaining of land” for parks, etc., provided “the same be first recommended by the board of park commissioners. And.it shall be the duty of the common council upon such recommendation to proceed forthwith, by ordinance, to provide for the establishment” of the park, etc., payment for the same to be - made out of the general funds or bv issue and sale of bonds, or “as hereinafter provided.”

Section 9 provides that the parks in any district, “whether acquired by purchase or condemnation, may be paid for by special assessments upon the real estate therein found benefited thereby as hereinafter authorized.”

Section 10: “Whenever the' common council, upon the recommendation of the board of park commissioners, shall provide by ordinance for the purchase or condemnation of any real estate selected for a park.and it becomes necessary to take or damage any private property for any such purpose, said common council shall by ordinance, de[460]*460scribe the private -property to be purchased, taken or damaged; and in case the same is to be paid for by special assessments upon real estate, shall designate the time and mode of payment of such assessments, and shall also prescribe the limits within winch private property shall be deemed benefited by the proposed improvement, and be assessed and charged to pay compensation therefor, which benefit district may include one or more park districts or part or parts of such district or districts.” The section then goes on to direct how the ordinance shall describe the property to be affected and the duties of the officers in relation to the proceedings and the institution of the suit in the circuit court of the county.

Section 11 provides that upon the filing of a copy of the ordinance in the circuit court, the court will appoint a day for the impanelling of a jury to assess the damages and benefits and give notice thereof by publication.

Sections 12, 13 and 14 relate to matters of further detail of procedure, unnecessary to mention here.

Section 15, relating to assessments of benefits, provides that the jury “shall estimate the amount of benefit to the city at large, inclusive of any benefit to the property of the city, and shall estimate the value of the benefit of the proposed improvement to each and every lot, piece and parcel of private property, exclusive of the buildings and improvements thereon, within the benefit district, if any benefit is found to accrue thereto; and in case the total of such benefits, including the benefits assessed to the city at large, equals or exceeds the compensation assessed, or to be paid for the property purchased, taken or damaged, then said jurors shall assess against the city the amount of benefits to the city as aforesaid, and shall assess the balance of the cost of such improvements against the several lots and parcels of private property found benefited, each lot or parcel of ground to be assessed with an amount bearing the same ratio to such [461]*461balance as tbe benefit to each lot or parcel bears to the whole benefit to all the private property assessed.”

Section 16 prescribes the form of the verdict and directs that “the city engineer and city assessor or their assistants shall when required, aid said jury of freeholders to put its verdict in proper form; and said jury may use the books, plats and records in the office of the city assessor for such purpose, and if the jury shall find that any number of tracts or parcels of land within the benefit district are benefited ratably in proportion to the assessed value thereof as shown by the books of said assessor they may so assess the same.” It also provides for a review of the verdict by the court on its own motion or the motion, of a party interested, filed within four days and for setting the verdict aside for good cause and further proceedings.

Section 17 directs the form of the judgment.

Section 18 gives an appeal to a party aggrieved, which with a bond for costs, suspends the judgment until the cause is disposed of in this court.

The proceedings in this case were designed to be conducted in conformity with these provisions of the city charter. A large number of instructions were given, some of the court’s own motion and others at the instance of the parties respectively, designed to cover every feature of the case both as regards the assessment of damages for the property taken and of benefits to pay for the same. It will not be necessary to copy these instructions in full in this opinion but only those of which complaint is made. There were motions for new trial and in arrest of judgment by the defendants Bacon and Monroe, which were overruled, and this appeal was taken.

I. The point, against which the main force of appellants’ argument is directed is instruction 11 given at the request of the city, and which is:

[462]*462“11. By your verdict you shall show a correct description of each piece or parcel of property taken and the value thereof, and of each piece or parcel of private property damaged and the amount of injury thereto. You shall also show by your verdict the amount, if any, assessed against the city, and shall show the amount of benefits assessed against each piece or parcel of private property found benefited within the benefit district.
“In estimating the benefits that may accrue to the city and to the public generally, or to any property in the benefit district by reason of the proposed improvement, you shall consider only such benefits as are direct, certain and proximate.’

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
57 S.W. 1045, 157 Mo. 450, 1900 Mo. LEXIS 41, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kansas-city-v-bacon-mo-1900.